Sunday 4/17/22
Celebrate:
Happy Easter!
Bat Appreciation Day
Blah, Blah, Blah, Day
Ellis Island Family History Day
Go Fly a Kite Day
International Ford Mustang Day
International Haiku Poetry Day
Malbec World Day
National Baked Ham with Pineapple Day
National Cheeseball Day
National Crawfish Day
National Kickball Day
Nothing Like a Dame Day
World Hemophilia Day
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First George's Mom, now Jerry's!!! Liz Sheridan, a veteran stage and screen actress who played Jerry Seinfeld's mother, Helen, on "Seinfeld," died Friday morning at the age of 93, her manager and friend Amanda Hendon confirmed to CNN.
Sheridan had celebrated her 93rd birthday earlier this week, Hendon said. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law.
Though she had dozens of film credits, she was best known as Seinfeld's doting mother on his titular sitcom, which ran for nine seasons. She also appeared as the snoopy neighbor Mrs. Ochmonek on the alien-led sitcom "ALF."
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Talk about cutting it close. Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. The full moon happened yesterday at 2:57pm. Traditionally called the Pink Moon, this full Moon is also the Paschal full Moon this year, which means it's the first full moon of the spring season.
April’s full Moon often corresponded with the early springtime blooms of a certain wildflower native to eastern North America: Phlox subulata—commonly called creeping phlox or moss phlox—which also went by the name “moss pink.”
Thanks to this seasonal association, this full Moon came to be called the “Pink” Moon!
In April Moon names, references to spring abound! Breaking Ice Moon (Algonquin) and Moon When the Streams Are Again Navigable (Dakota) reference the melting ice and increased mobility of the early spring season, while Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs (Tlingit) and Moon of the Red Grass Appearing (Oglala) speak to the plant growth that will soon kick into high gear.
Other names refer to the reappearance of certain animals, including Moon When the Ducks Come Back (Lakota), Moon When the Geese Lay Eggs (Dakota), and Frog Moon (Cree). Along the same vein, Sucker Moon (Anishinaabe) notes the time to harvest sucker fish, which return to streams or lake shallows to spawn. According to legend, now is the time when this fish comes back from the spirit world to purify bodies of water and the creatures living in them. (This name may also be applied to the February Moon, to honor the sacrifice of the sucker fish in order to feed the Anishinaabe peoples, traditionally helping them to survive the winter.)
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Happy (or Hoppy for a pun) Easter! Here are some facts for you!
What is the significance of Easter?
Easter is one of the most important days in Christianity and celebrates Jesus' resurrection three days after he was crucified. It also follows a period called Lent, during which people often reflect and give up something they enjoy to remember the sacrifices made by Jesus.
Why do people dye eggs for Easter?
Eggs have been used throughout history as a symbol of rebirth, which was adopted to represent the resurrection. The first painted and decorated Easter eggs were recorded in the 13th century. And the earliest Easter eggs were often painted with substances like vegetable dye and charcoal.
The act of painting eggs originates from a Ukrainian tradition
For countless generations, Ukrainians have been decorating eggs as a calling out to the Gods and Goddesses of health and fertility.
This traditional act of pysanka is made by using wax and dyes, but this colorful custom didn’t take off until Ukrainian immigrants came to the U.S.
Where did the original Easter bunny come from?
Some say the Easter bunny first started as Eostre, the Germanic and Saxon goddess of the spring and the dawn. Her sacred animal was a hare. Others say German immigrants first brought the Easter bunny to America in the 1700s with their tradition of an egg-laying hare called "Osterhase" or "Oschter Haws."
Does everyone celebrate with the Easter bunny?
While the Easter bunny is very popular in the United States, some other countries have their own animal to usher in the spring holiday. In some parts of Germany, for example, people celebrate with the Easter Fox or the Easter Rooster. And in Australia, you'll hear about the Easter Bilby, a small marsupial with rabbit-like ears and a pointy nose. (imagine pictures with those at the mall)
Why do people eat lamb on Easter?
In scripture, Jesus is referred to as the "lamb of God." Lamb also has a history of being used as a sacrificial animal. In addition to lamb, people eat other Easter favorites like eggs, ham, and cheese.
Pretzels used to be associated with Easter
When we think of Easter, chocolate, hot-cross buns and eggs usually spring to mind. But did you know that pretzels are also an Easter snack?
Pretzels are associated with Easter because the twists resemble arms crossing in prayer. From the 1950s, it was tradition for Germans to eat a pretzel and a hard-boiled egg for dinner on Good Friday.
The UK’s first chocolate egg was produced in Bristol in 1873
Have you ever wondered who started the trend of tucking into chocolate-shaped eggs on Easter Sunday?
It was during the 19th century that the Fry family of Bristol ran the largest chocolate factory in the world and produced the first chocolate egg, in 1873.
It was two years later in 1875 that saw Cadbury’s make their first Easter egg.
Americans consume over 16 million jelly beans during Easter.
That's enough jelly beans to circle the globe not once, not twice, but three times — or to fill a plastic egg the size of a nine-story building. First introduced as an Easter treat in the 1930s, we can't imagine this day without them.
How do you eat your chocolate Easter Bunny?
78% of people eat the ears first. That's followed by 11% who devour the bunny's feet first, with 11% opting for the tail for their first bite.
The world’s largest Easter egg weighs in at 5000lbs
Standing at 31ft tall and 18ft wide is the world’s largest Easter egg. Found in Vegreville, Alberta, Canada, the egg weighs a hefty 5000lbs and took 12,000 hours to complete.
Named the Vegreville Pysanka, the world’s largest Easter egg is actually more of a jigsaw than a sculpture, as it is made from 3500 pieces of aluminum.
In 2007, an Easter egg sold for £9 million
Possibly the world’s most expensive egg was sold at Christie’s in London for £9 million in 2007, breaking Faberge records.
The enameled egg contains a multi-colored cockerel which at every hour pops out of the egg and flaps his wings, before nodding his head three times.
The egg was made by Karl Fabergé in St Petersburg in 1902 and is the second-largest egg ever made by Fabergé.
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